March 19, 2012 4:04am EDTMarch 17, 2012 7:08pm EDTFor the first time since his Achilles' tendon injury changed the course of the Clippers' season, Chauncey Billups makes an appearance at Staples Center.

LOS ANGELES—Since tearing his left Achilles' tendon back in early February, things have been a little weird for Clippers guard Chauncey Billups.

He hadn’t had a major injury in 12 years, then he was stuck on his couch at his home in Denver, watching his teammates slip into a funk—they were 9-11 in their first 20 games without him around. On Thursday, the Clippers suffered what could be their worst loss of the season, blowing a 17-point lead to a Suns team without starters Steve Nash and Grant Hill—the kind of loss that most likely would not happen on Billups’ watch.

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On Saturday, for the first time since the injury, Billups was able to show up for a game at Staples Center, where he said he intends to play a few more years then took a perch on the sideline to watch the Clippers complete a comeback matinee win, 95-91, over the Houston Rockets

“It’s been tough,” Billups said. “It’s a helpless feeling. Even though I’ve been in contact with the guys the whole way, they’ve been more worried if I was getting better. And I’ve been more worried about what’s been going on with the team. At the same time, it’s been a struggle to watch us be inconsistent night in and night out.”

The Clippers were 15-7 with Billups at shooting guard, and he was averaging 15.0 points per game. Since then, they’ve had a hard time replacing him, going with Randy Foye before trading for Washington shooting guard (and L.A. native) Nick Young at Thursday’s trading deadline. Young was unable to take the floor on Saturday, because not all players involved in the three-team trade involving the Clippers, Wizards and Nuggets have been cleared.

Of course, the Clippers miss the 35-year-old Billups on the floor, not just for his production, but for his experience, leadership and toughness. It old be nice to have him in uniform, but they will have to settle for Billups in a suit.

“I think it will help, because Chauncey is respected so much,” coach Vinny Del Negro said. “It will be good to see him and get him back even though he is not on the court. But as much as he wants to be around or can be around, depending on his schedule of therapy, obviously, we love that.”

There’s no chance Billups will return this year, no matter how far into the playoffs the Clippers wind up getting—it could be eight months of recovery before Billups is playing again, and he will be fortunate if he's 100 percent by the start of next year. That rules him out for participation in this summer’s Olympics, too, and he has only just begun his post-surgery rehab.

“This is a tough injury,” Billups said. “It’s a long process. It’s not an injury that you could or should think about rushing.”

Billups will be back on the floor next season. “I feel like I have some good years left to play,” he said. “My desire has always been to win at any cost. Whether that is at 25 or 35, it doesn’t matter to me. I am here for one reason and that reason is to try to win and make my teammates better. I don’t think that has changed in my mindset my entire career.”

As for what’s been plaguing the Clippers lately, Billups said the problem is more mental than physical. After the loss to Phoenix, the Clippers held an hourlong team meeting to get themselves straightened out. If that works, Billups still counts the Clips as a championship team.

“I still feel like this team can contend,” Billups said. “I like what … the team did yesterday getting Nick Young. He’s a guy that is a great scorer, not just that, I think he can score within the plays we call. It’s going to be a big piece that can help us out. I think more than anything, it’s the mindset, it’s the mentality that has to be tweaked back to how it was at the start of the season. We have time to do that, and when that mentality is tweaked to get us back to where we need to be, we’re right there.”